 Item Number – SCP-517 Object Class – Safe Special Containment Procedures SCP-517 is to be kept secured within containment locker 511-64 and Site-66, facing away from the doorway. A thick sheet is to be draped over the item at all times. Testing is currently prohibited, as the nature of the manifestation invariably causes a low-level containment breach. If SCP-517-1 is triggered, personnel are instructed to report to their immediate superior to enact protocol 517-1. As of incident 517-1997M, SCP-517 is to be kept in a dedicated cell at all times. An opaque black sheet is to be kept bound around the object at all times. As of 2002, no more testing is to be conducted on SCP-517 without Site Director's approval. Description – SCP-517 is a fortune-telling machine. Item stands approximately 2 meters tall, containing a mechanical puppet and an electric candle within a glass and wooden case. Examination is shown in an internal layout consistent with similar machines. On the top panels, the words Grandmother Predictions are painted on built-in signage. The puppet within is in the shape of an elderly woman with a white blouse and a blue shawl. Item's power cord has been severed approximately 15 centimeters from its base. It appears to have been inexperently separated from its original power source. No reaction occurs if a coin is inserted into the slot. The item will energize automatically once an hour if an individual, hereafter, the target, enters its field of vision. The puppet will turn to face directly at the target, dispense a fortune card from the slot on its front, and cease function. Process is fully mechanical, and item does not show signs of awareness. See a dendym for a transcript for examples of fortunes. The individual who activated SCP-517 will become the target of an entity or number of entities who will attack at 1.43 am local time the following morning. The entity or entities, hereby SCP-517-1, appear as a varying number of long multi-jointed arms between 10 and 3 dozen, initially appearing from a single area. Arms seem to be completely corporeal, and can apparently extend indefinitely. Entity will immediately rush towards an attempt to grab and capture the target or targets. If the hunt is made sufficiently challenging, additional arms will begin to constantly generate in close proximity to the victim, in order to facilitate an easier capture. Chosen areas are usually low, cramped, dark areas, such as basements or closets, and will not shift during a given assault. In all instances, targets have been captured, rapidly dragged into SCP-517-1's chosen area, and savagely beaten, until sunrise. Entity has been documented reaching from the ventilation system of an office building, drawing a target into a dropped ceiling, pulling a target under a bed, and drawing a target through a sewage grate. Any attempts to intrude on this event will result in human aggressors being drawn into the assault. The remains of victims are reduced to… To date, there have been no survivors. If more than one individual activates the item in the span of one day, all will become targets of the following night's assault. SCP-517-1 will appear from multiple areas while hunting multiple targets. However, due to the resultant chaos during the test, 517-34C, in which this was discovered, all measures are to be taken to avoid multiple activations. Remote viewing of the unexpected points of origin of SCP-517-1 during testing revealed arms extending from points around corners, and otherwise off-camera, eventually crowding out the video feed. Pragmented, unidentified human DNA has appeared in the areas utilized by SCP-517-1. Ultimate origins are still currently unknown. Incident 517-1997-M SCP-INVOLVED SCP-517 Personnel Involved Dr. Augusto Mail Deceased Site-23 Security Date 08-25-1997 Location Storage Site-23 On 08-25-1997, at approximately 1,356 hours, the late Dr. Mail was targeted by SCP-517, while supervising the object's transport to a new storage locker. Security and Site Director were alerted, and a defensive strategy was devised. At 2,330 hours, Dr. Mail was loaded into a Foundation UH-60 Blackhawk. Five security personnel assigned his bodyguards. Helicopter was situated on Helipad-38, located on the roof of the then-empty Cafeteria 1. Non-essential security personnel from Sectors 1, 3, and 4 were armed with blades and stun-batons, and select personnel were granted flame weapons and concussion explosives. Squads were directed to strategic points around Cafeteria 1's main and second floors, and instructed to destroy any instances of SCP-517-1 that appear. As this was the first concerted effort intended to overcome SCP-517-1, all measures were taken. As Cafeteria 1 was not constructed with a proper basement, it was expected that SCP-517-1 would manifest in one of the surrounding buildings. All SCP objects that posed a threat, if released by SCP-517-1, were moved to another area of the site. SCP-59's enclosure is located away from Cafeteria 1, and as such, was deemed safe. Log of events 2357 hours Dr. Mail and Guards board aerial transport 0105 hours Nighttime illumination augmented by additional floodlights 0136 hours Ground squads assigned to interior of Cafeteria 1 in place 0141 hours Ground squads assigned to exterior of Cafeteria 1 in place 0103 hours Weapon check called 0110 hours Dr. Mail expresses an intense feeling of suspense, becomes mildly agitated, attributed to knowledge of SCP object and subsequent paranoia 0120 hours Last call for restroom breaks 0130 hours Site locked down All doors and windows capable of being sealed are locked 0143 hours Approximately 18 SCP-517-1 limbs sighted to the east of Cafeteria 1, generated somewhere in storage center for B, approximately 40 meters away, immediately destroyed by concentrated weapons fire. 0147 hours More SCP-517-1 sighted in the same area, additional arms generated to replace those destroyed by weapons fire. Several seemed tasked to collect pieces left behind, no hostility towards squads reported. 0155 hours Further instances of SCP-517-1 sighted to the northeast of Cafeteria 1, generating from within several foundation assigned vehicles, parked between Cafeteria 1 and storage center for B. Ground squad engages, utilizing flame weapons. 0210 hours Assault continues upon SCP-517-1. Number of arms greatly increase, between 80 and 100 are estimated to generate at a steady pace from various points to the northeast. Fire damaged or destroyed limbs were tracked out of sight, pieces left behind collected by entity. No hostility reported directly towards foundation teams. 0224 hours Squads report some difficulty keeping up with the rate of replacement. Explosive weapons authorized against origin points. No hostility reported directly towards foundation teams. 0239 hours Dr. Mail and Ariel squad go airborne. 0241 hours Arms generate from the walls within Cafeteria 1, ground floor. Later examination reveals the arms had formed irregular holes in the drywall, consistent with blunt force. Ground floor squad engages, utilizing close quarters weaponry. No hostility reported directly towards foundation teams. 0249 hours SCP-517-1 appears within Cafeteria 1 ventilation system. Roof squad engages, ground-based instances of SCP-517-1 are noted to continue reaching in the direction of Cafeteria 1, even while Dr. Mail has gone airborne within the evacuation vehicle. 200 estimated to have appeared. 0304 hours SCP-517-1 appears on the roof of Cafeteria 1, generating from kitchen exhaust ports. Damage done to structural mesh. Entity engaged. 0311 hours SCP-517-1 observed to remove the locked fire escape door on the north side of Cafeteria 1. Said instances generated within Cafeteria 1's ventilation systems. 0322 hours 4 SCP-517-1 limbs, generating from the exhaust system of Cafeteria 1, reach helicopter. Roof crew alerted, limbs culled. 0331 hours Dr. Mail becomes hysteric, demands that the pilot flee. Helicopter begins moving to the southeast. 0333 hours SCP-517-1 generate upon helicopter, seemingly from the base of the tail. Begin attacking the doors. 0334 hours Left side rear window shattered. Onboard squad engaged with bladed weapons. 0335 hours Dr. Mail acquired by SCP-517-1, drawn through window, passed towards waiting arms. Subsequently moved through the air towards Cafeteria 1. 0335 hours SCP-517-1 limb caught in helicopter's tail rotor. Pilot forced to attempt an emergency landing. Agent Trac severely wounded. 0336 hours Squads report a marked increase in hostility by SCP-517-1. Entity begins replacing arms at a greatly increased rate. Number of limbs estimated at a steady 150. 0337 hours Dr. Mail drawn through Cafeteria 1's kitchen ventilation system. 0337 hours Dr. Mail reappears in kitchen. Agent Matheson attempts to sever 517-1 limbs. Subsequently captured and pulled towards fire exit with Dr. Mail. 0337 hours Agent Germain, Agent Trefler and Agent Sale captured. Defense squads ordered to stand down. 0339 hours Dr. Mail, Agent Matheson, Germain, Tefler and Sale drawn into storage building 4B through access door. Outside limbs retract, disappear. 0344 hours Agent Ted attempts to damage storage building 4B with combat grenades. Aggressively drawn into building by exceedingly rapid limbs. 0345 hours Command contacted. Mission failed. 0701 hours Dawn 0710 hours Collective remains of Dr. Mail and Agent Matheson, Germain, Tefler, Sale and Ted rediscovered. Addendum Fortunes Sables from several fortunes, as read by SCP-517. 01993 How many times should somebody be told to be good? 01994 Your mother raised you better than that. I'm sorry, but fair is fair. 01994 You try to be good. You should try harder. 01994 01994 Some people don't know how to be kind. You'll know soon enough, won't you? 01997 People who do terrible things deserve terrible things. You've brought this upon yourself, my dear. 01998 You'll find out soon enough. 02002 You look like you've made some mistakes. Some things are unforgivable, aren't they? 02002 Do you think they've forgotten? Lesson complete. If you missed the previous orientation, go watch SCP-516, Intelligent Tank, right now. Or for the complete course, watch this playlist.